EU: Botched hostage rescue RP’s ‘dark cloud’ By Mario J. Mallari,Aytch S. de la Cruzand Benjamin B. Pulta 09/03/2010

EU: Botched hostage rescue RP’s ‘dark cloud’
By Mario J. Mallari,Aytch S. de la Cruzand Benjamin B. Pulta
09/03/2010
The Aug. 23 botched hostage rescue operation that left at least eight Hong Kong Chinese tourists dead, with eight injured, and more traumatized by the incident, has cast a “very dark cloud” over the image of the Philippines in the eyes of the international community, a European Union (EU) official yesterday said.

While stressing that the bloody hostage rescue at the Quirino Grandstand last week could happen anywhere else in the world, the EU official admitted that the bungled rescue operation cast a “dark cloud” over the image of the country in the international community.

Alistair McDonald, ambassador of the EU delegation to the Philippines, said he is personally looking forward to the results of the ongoing top-level investigation of the hostage-taking and botched rescue that ended in the killing of the eight Chinese tourists.

“I cannot comment on the event itself because the investigation is ongoing but an event of that nature happening anywhere in the world certainly casts a very dark cloud over the image of the country whatever it is when something like that happens,” McDonald told Camp Aguinaldo reporters during the Multi-stakeholders Forum on Human Rights and Armed Conflicts.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100903hed1.html